The 45 Second “Deafening Silence”

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has made a very powerful and profound stand at the United Nations General Assembly this year. In case you did not watch his speech, you might be interested in knowing that it was not his speech that heated up the spirits in the room, but a 45 second “deafening silence” that was, once again, reconfirmed.

In general, Netanyahu makes use of his annual speech to point out the Iranian nuclear program and the issues that the Iranian state is causing by meddling in the Middle East. But this year, he really wanted to have impact, so he appealed to an emotional and psychological approach, stating a truth that has been a taboo for many years: when Iran threatens Israel, people remain silent.

It was the 45 second silence that followed his words that not only had tremendous impact, but also reconfirmed that instead of making a stand as the United Nations, people persisted in not saying anything on the matter. Whether nobody said anything out of shame or fear of misrepresenting their countries is another matter, but now we know how the world feels about this specific issue.

Judging by Netanyahu’s performance, he has been a good leader for Israel. While the countries around it have found themselves in political turmoil and ravaged by war, Israel’s situation has remained stable, secure and it has also managed to grow its economy. Netanyahu’s party also received great recognition this year by winning a very large share of the national election votes.

The nuclear deal regarding Iran has remained his greatest regret during his career. It the subject that he was most adamant on throughout all his political years. The Iran deal “evolved” for him, from a political matter to a personal one and, ultimately, to a problem for the Israeli people.

The “deafening silence” was a very strong symbol, one that showed that the world is already accustomed with the Iran deal. But for Israel things are not that simple and, as far as this event has proven us, everybody is willing to “go with the plan” at Israel’s expense. This can hardly be deemed as a fair act from the “United Nations”.

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